


dust and shadow

by rudderless in an ocean of stars (indelibly_ellie)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/F, Hogwarts AU, I mean, Slow Burn, SuperCorp, as usual, but maybe also glimmers of happiness, hella angst, not in first year at least, they aren't going to be jumping into each others pants, they're little baby students
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-09-13 10:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9120091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indelibly_ellie/pseuds/rudderless%20in%20an%20ocean%20of%20stars
Summary: The SuperCorp Hogwarts AU you probably weren't looking for that my trashy gay brain couldn't help but writing.Excerpt:Kara is only nine years old when her world ends.There’s a flash of green light that passes through the glass of the windowshield as though it were as insubstantial as smoke that strikes her father squarely in the chest and then the wheel jerks and the world is spinning spinning spinning-Her mother’s screams echo in her ears as the world turns upside down and right side up and upside down all over again. She’s reaching for her, fingers outstretched- Kara! -but her mother’s belt won’t loosen and neither will hers and all she knows is that she wants to get out, she wants to move-They stop falling.STATUS: May 16, 2017 - Chapter 4 UP!





	1. the bridge

**Author's Note:**

> Asked to write this AU by a lovely anon who reminded me just how much I love the Harry Potter series. Enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what my brain is even up to anymore.
> 
> I swear I haven't abandoned my other fics- I will get back to them as soon as inspiration hits. :)

Kara is only nine years old when her world ends.

 

There’s a flash of green light that passes through the glass of the windowshield as though it were as insubstantial as smoke that strikes her father squarely in the chest and then the wheel jerks and the world is _spinning spinning spinning-_

 

Her mother’s screams echo in her ears as the world turns upside down and right side up and upside down all over again. She’s reaching for her, fingers outstretched- _Kara!_ -but her mother’s belt won’t loosen and neither will hers and all she knows is that she wants to get out, she wants to move-

 

They stop falling.

 

The nylon strap of her belt cuts into her chest as she’s thrown forwards, and there’s a burst of desperation that burns hot through her veins when she realizes that her mother is no longer _screaming._ She whimpers and shuts her eyes at the sight of her mother lying still beside her father, stiller than she has ever seen anyone stay in her _life_ , nails digging deep into the flesh of her palms, wishing that she were anywhere but here and-

 

Suddenly something _jerks_ , like a rope has been tied around her waist and pulled, and she feels like she’s being crushed, crammed through a very small tube and-

 

She’s back on the bridge.

 

She can’t muster up the strength to stand so she crawls, drags herself forward despite the way her ribs burn with every minute movement, pulling her battered body towards the broken edges of the safety rails, until she’s at the very edge of the concrete. Then she watches- wide-eyed, frozen, limbs locked in place- as the water swallows the last taillight of her family’s car.

 

It doesn’t take very long before people in dark robes begin to appear all around her, swirling into existence, brandishing wooden sticks and muttering things about ‘underage magic’ that she can’t quite bring herself to muster up the energy to care about as her vision begins to dim and the weight on her chest makes it that much harder to _breathe_.

 

A man kneels beside her with warm, brown eyes and mutters something under his breath and everything quietly fades into a soft, soothing darkness that, try as she might, she cannot resist.

 

Later, she will learn that the jarring impact she had felt was the front of the car hitting the half-frozen surface of the lake. She will mutely accept this explanation, though a tiny voice in her head will wonder how something as soft as water could cause so much pain.

 

She will look up at the matronly witch standing by her bedside, a kind, heavyset nurse who brings her warm things to drink that makes her eyelids too heavy to lift that she accepts without argument because sleep is so much better than the alternative of staying awake and _remembering_ , and she will ask her a question she will find that the woman cannot answer.

 

_Why?_

 

* * *

 

Her ribs heal, but it doesn’t get any easier to breathe.

 

The man from the bridge returns with several of his colleagues, all dressed in shades of darkest black, and from the way the healers- not doctors, no, they had told her that doctors were for _Muggles_ , whatever those were- shuffle obediently out of their way, she figures they must be pretty important.

 

Each of them bears a silver ’m’ on their person, capitalized and _bold_ , rendered in silver threads or silver badges, all of which are placed firmly above their hearts.

 

They stop a few feet away from the edge of her bed, shifting from one foot to the other, grim-faced. It seems like they can’t stay still- not for long, anyways. It’s almost like they’re waiting for something to happen. For something to go wrong.

 

She’s achingly familiar with the wary, worried gleams in their eyes- she’d seen in often in her parents, no matter how hard they tried to hide it from her, every time she’d been told to pack her bags for another ‘vacation.’

 

Kara frowns, furrowing her brow, momentarily lost in thought.

 

The brown-eyed man clears his throat, and Kara looks up to see several pairs of inquisitive eyes trained on her and her alone.

 

“Kara… That’s your name, isn’t it?”

 

She blinks. “You already asked the nurse- sorry, the healer- that. I heard you.”

 

“We weren’t even in the room.” Something flashes across his features, too quick for her to catch, but her heart skips a beat in her chest regardless.

 

Her mother’s voice rings out in her ears, and she suppresses the urge to cringe, dragged back to the memory of her mother’s prone form splayed out across the dashboard of the car.

 

_No one can know about our gifts, Kara. Especially not yours._

 

She puffs out her chest and attempts to channel as much childish bravado into her voice as she can summon. “I have very good hearing.”

 

“I can tell.”

 

He steps closer to the bed, hands raised in a pacifying gesture. “You’ve been here for a while, Kara. And you seem like a smart girl. You already know we call them ‘healers’ instead of ‘doctors’. What else have you learned?”

 

“You call yourselves wizards. And you think that I’m a witch. A 'muggle-born’ witch.” The words feel heavy and foreign on her tongue.

 

One of the people behind him smiles at her they way one might smile at a child who had solved a particularly difficult equation. She resists the urge to scoff.

 

“We don’t think, Kara- we know. We found you on the bridge that night because you did magic. That’s how you got out of the car when your father lost control…” He trails off when she stiffens, and regards her with a mixture of pity and concern in his eyes.

 

That’s how she’d gotten out of the car when a green light had passed through her father’s invulnerable skin. “He didn’t lose control,” she corrects sharply, bristling at the implication that the accident had been her father’s fault.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“My dad would have never lost control of the car.”

 

“Kara-”

 

“No, you don’t understand. There was a green light. It went right through the windshield. When it touched him, something happened. He just… He just-” She breaks off, blinking back tears.

 

An uneasy murmur passes through the ranks of his fellow aurors, but he keeps his gaze fixed firmly on the little girl before him. “That would be the _avada kedavra_. The Killing Curse.”

  
  
Kara flinches, and the last tendrils of hope- that maybe, just maybe, he was _alive_ \- grow cold and withered in her chest. So even with his gift, her father wouldn’t have been able to survive. 

 

“Someone like you did this, then. A _wizard_.” She spits the last word out like something filthy, jaw tight, hands clenched.

 

“Someone like you too, Kara. Witches and wizards aren’t all bad. You have magic too. Haven’t you ever done things before? Things that the other kids couldn’t do?”

 

She thinks back to her mother, soaring high in the air, her laughter ringing through the clouds- a different kind of magic than the strange liquids and muttered spells she’s seen over the last few days- and nods.

 

“Your parents were non-magical folk. We call them muggles. That’s why the healers told you that you were 'muggle-born.’ Your parents probably had no idea you were a witch.”

 

She doesn’t bother correcting him. She doesn’t even know if she should. From what she’s learned over the past few days, there weren’t any witches or wizards who had unbreakable skin, or who could fly unaided without the use of brooms.

 

“What happens now?”

 

He clears his throat, looking back towards his colleagues with a raised brow. Quietly, they begin to shuffle out of the room, leaving Kara alone with the man that she dimly realizes she hasn’t even asked a name from.

 

“Our government- the Ministry of Magic- won’t allow us to release an untrained magical child back into the care of the muggle foster system. It poses too much a risk of discovery.”

 

“So I can’t go back.”

 

“No, you can’t. I’m sorry.” When she says nothing in response, he continues, albeit a little awkwardly. “Normally, in circumstances such as this, we usually find magical families willing to take in children who are, ah, left orphaned after a tragedy.”

 

“And?”

 

“Well, my wife and I have been talking about it, and we’d like to offer you a home with us. We have a daughter around your age- Alex- and we live in a secluded enough area for you to not have to worry about suppressing your magic and-” He cuts himself off, suddenly sheepish, and finds himself unable to meet her gaze. “It’s all up to you, anyway, and you’re obviously still recovering, so you don’t have to make any decisions right away-”

 

“Yes.” The word spills out of her mouth before she can even think to stop herself, and she silently rues her impulsiveness.

 

He beams up at her with a broad, hopeful grin, and the knot of worry in her chest loosens just enough for her to take a deep breath in and smile _back_. 

 

“That’s great! I’ll- I’ll go talk to the healers, see how early we can get you discharged- I’m sure you’re tired of being cooped up in this room all the time-” He’s already halfway out the door when he stops suddenly, and turns back to her with another, softer smile.

 

“Kara… I know this must be a terrible and confusing time for you, but… I promise I’ll do everything in my power to make this transition easier for you.”

 

All she can do is nod, fingers twisting the sheets of her bed with newfound vigor. 

 

Then he’s gone, the door wide open in his wake.

 

It sinks in then, that she’s just agreed to live with a complete stranger who she still hasn’t gotten the chance to ask his name. 

 

She laughs, and it just might be the first time she’s laughed in days ever since the accident. It makes something in her chest twist in a way that’s painfully bittersweet.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she catches a glimpse of someone standing in the doorway and she freezes, the last bits of laughter caught in her throat as she looks up to see a slender girl with dark hair and brilliantly green eyes staring back at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ;) wonder ;) who ;) that ;) girl ;) could ;) be ;)
> 
> Leave a review, smother a newly orphaned Kara with hugs and kisses.


	2. unexpected meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara gets to know a bit about her strange visitor.
> 
> Alex copes with the idea of having a sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad you guys liked the first chapter. :D
> 
> This is a direct continuation from where we left off. 
> 
> Happy New Year's Eve! :)

The girl at the door speaks first. She steps into the room, moving towards Kara's bed with a shy, quiet grace. "I'm Lena. Lena Luthor."

  

Kara fidgets, suddenly all-too aware of her rumpled clothing and mussed hair in the face of Lena's neat black dress and perfectly styled hair, pulled away from her face with a pair of silver pins- snakes, with sparking emerald eyes. 

 

She sits up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed as she pulls back the covers. "Kara zor El."

 

Lena's close enough to touch now, bringing with her the faint scent of lilacs. She holds out a hand, the movement stiff, practiced, and Kara takes it with a hesitant smile. "What are you doing in my room, Lena?"

 

"Just wandering. I heard laughter." Lena shrugs, tilting her head. "I was curious."

 

"Are you here for someone?"

 

She nods, shoulders hunching, and to Kara, the temperature of the room seems to drop several degrees when Lena frowns. "My brother. He's dead."

 

"I'm sorry." The words are automatic, and as soon as they've left her lips, Kara regrets them. Sorry wasn't going to bring Lena's brother back. Sorry hadn't made her parents any less dead, either.

 

But Lena doesn't seem to have heard, continuing almost mechanically. "The Ministry took his body here after the aurors killed him."

 

She looks up to meet Kara's gaze, verdant eyes wide and sad and startlingly _vacant_. "They were trying to apprehend him. He was doing experiments on muggles and magical creatures." She waves a hand, a vague, wavering gesture, and something in her expression grows haunted. "He was trying to see if he could... If he could transfer certain traits between species..." Lena drifts off, paling, before she manages to claw her way back to reality with a firm shake of her head.

 

Lena stumbles towards the door, neatly evading Kara's grasping hands and pleading gaze as she stammers out an apology. "I'm- I'm s-sorry, that- that was _inappropriate_ , I-"

 

"Wait, please- you don't have to go-" Kara hops out of the bed on shaky legs, heart stuttering out a shaky staccato, desperate to catch up to the other girl.

 

But she's fast and Kara is still _weak_ , too weak to reach her before she's darting through the open doorway and into the hall.

 

"Lena-"

 

The door swings shut with a sharp snap, leaving Kara with nothing but the lingering aroma of lilacs hanging in the air.

 

She leans against the wall, panting, and tries her best to just _breathe_. 

 

Her injuries have long-since been healed, but ever since that night on the bridge, breathing doesn't come to her as easily as it used to. It feels like something sharp has slipped through her ribs wedged itself in her chest, a stiletto blade burying itself far out of reach.

 

The distance between the door and her bed stretches out for what feels like eternity as she begins to shuffle back, the corners of her mouth weighed down by the thought of Lena's abrupt departure.

 

Halfway back to her bed, a glint of something shiny and metallic catches her eye and she kneels down to scoop up a single, silver hairpin in the shape of a snake, its emerald eyes glimmering beneath the bright lights of the room.

 

The door bursts open behind her, and she stuffs the trinket into her pocket as she turns to face the intruder. Kara blurts out the first thing that comes to mind before he can question her for being out of bed. "I never got your name."

 

He laughs. "I'm Jeremiah. Jeremiah Danvers."

 

* * *

 

Alex Danvers' last morning as an only child starts off with a breakfast of toast and eggs that she can barely choke down, even with the aid of a glass of orange juice. 

 

Years ago, when Alex was a small child, during an ill-fated expedition into a magical tribe isolated from the main wizarding community of Britain, her mother had lost the ability to have any more children. Needless to say, that fact that she was getting a sister was the last thing she expected to hear from her parents when they'd sat her down in the living room a few days ago on the basis of telling her 'something important.'

 

She's equal parts excited and apprehensive, and spends a good chunk of time pacing back and forth in front of the couch before her mom finally tells her to sit down with a particularly exasperated sigh.

 

She'd never really thought about siblings, having known for nearly all of her life that her mother wouldn't be able to have any more children.

 

The owl arrives barely an hour before they arrive, explaining in her dad's sloppy, rushed handwriting that the girl had agreed to live with them and that her name was 'Kara.' Alex risks reprimand to visibly roll her eyes at that addendum.

 

When they'd informed her of the possibility that they would be taking her in, one of the first things she'd asked was what her new sister's name was. To her shock and slight mortification, her father had turned the palest shade of pink and said he hadn't had a chance to ask just yet. She'd had to muffle her incredulous laughter with both hands at that.

 

Finally, thirteen minutes into her staring contest with the fireplace, the orange flames flare bright green and spit a cloud of dust and two soot-covered individuals out onto the carpet.

 

Eliza leaps to her feet, wand in hand, and proceeds to get rid of all the remaining ash as Alex stumbles to her feet and _stares_ at the tiny blonde girl awkwardly tugging down the sleeves of her ash-stained sweater, the words she'd been reciting over and over in her head suddenly retreating to some dark, inaccessible corner of her brain.

 

It's like the first day of school all over again, or so she imagines, having had a voracious appetite for muggle books since her early youth.

 

When she finally manages to step forward and unhinge her jaw, she does so with a smile she desperately hopes doesn't look too strained. "Hi. I'm Alex." She mentally berates herself within seconds of speaking.

 

Merlin's _beard_ , was a smile even appropriate? Kara's parents had just died and here she was, smiling at her!

 

* * *

 

Kara watches with mild dismay as the girl in front of her visibly deflates, uncertainty flickering in her eyes- warm and brown, she notes, just like Jeremiah's.

 

She reaches out and takes Alex's offered hand and gives it a firm, reassuring squeeze. "I'm Kara." She tries her best to smile, but she's not sure how well the expression sticks. "It's nice to meet you, Alex."

 

Alex's wavering smile reignites itself, and she straightens her shoulders. "Wanna see your new room? I was in charge of setting it up, but I wasn't sure what colors you'd like so I just went for white and some pastels," she babbles, vaguely realizing that neither of them had yet to release the other's hand. "It's totally fine if you want to change it- Mom's great with decorating!"

 

It's Kara's turn to droop. Her mother had loved art- for a brief time during one of their longer stays in a town before moving again, she'd even been able to get a job as an art teacher at the local elementary school. She shakes off the memory and shrugs, hoping to appear nonchalant. "Yeah, sure," she mumbles, and the taller girl releases her hand as she begins to turn.

 

Before the loss of contact can even fully register, Alex is reaching back with her other hand to reclaim Kara's as she gently moves to tug the blonde along behind her as they head towards the hall.

 

The gesture is one that is made with unexpected ease, laced with the kind of eager familiarity usually reserved for close friends.

 

Unbidden, a surge of affection bubbles up in Kara's chest as they lace their fingers together and hurry deeper into the house, leaving behind two slightly baffled, but no less pleased, adults in their wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say? DANVERS SISTERS FTW!
> 
> Also, bumbling, awkward Lena FTW as well! The circumstances of Lex's death (and his life) will be further elaborated upon very soon. ;)))))))))))))))))))))
> 
> Anyways, back to the sisters.
> 
> Sorry, I just love their dynamic as siblings. It warms my heart in the show, and it makes me soooo happy to be able to write it here.
> 
> As you might have realized, Jeremiah mentioned Alex is the same age as Kara.
> 
> Now, canonically, we know that Alex was 13 when Kara, 11, arrived. However, I chose to retcon that fact to make them both nine, with Alex being a few months older, just because I want them to be able to enter Hogwarts in the same year.
> 
> You may have also realized that this means we have a good two years to explore before they enter Hogwarts. I'm not going to drag it out, but I will take this opportunity to emphasize and develop their sisterly bond.
> 
> Sue me, but I just want to really cement the relationship between them before they head off to Hogwarts. :)
> 
> Now, another thing- Kara's powers... I've been pretty vague alluding to them, but the next chapter should clear a lot of the confusion- whether she's still an alien, what powers I've chosen to give her, etc- up.
> 
> Leave a review, hold hands with a smol bean blonde and her equally adorable sister.


	3. iii. our reluctant truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *brandishes tub of apology cookies*
> 
> I am so sorry for that unplanned hiatus! 
> 
> I know I left a lot of you guys hanging when I vanished, especially those of you reading any one of my multi-chapters...
> 
> But now I'm BACK, and I can promise you that I literally have a draft for the next chapter of this work already made up and waiting for revision and release within the next few days.
> 
> But for now, enjoy! :)

“He did what he did because of you.”

 

It feels like she’s been slapped. “What?”

 

“You, a parseltongue. An orphaned Mudblood, able to speak the tongue of serpents. And yet, a pureblood boy- _my_ pureblood boy- a direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself, the first great parseltongue… Could not.” She spits the last part out with a hiss of disgust, and Lena can’t stop herself from flinching away from her venomous stare, hoping that Lillian won’t reach for the wand stowed away in the folds of her robes.

 

“He experimented with those filthy creatures because of you. Because he wanted to be like _you_.”

 

Lena’s tongue goes numb in her mouth, limbs locked into place without the aid of magic for what might be the first time in years.

 

“Then why not get rid of me,” she fires back, tongue still heavy in her mouth, nearly fumbling with the words, “why not just send me back to the orphanage and find yourself another child? A proper ‘heir’ to your precious legacy?”

 

It’s not the first time that the thought occurs to either of them, and Lena knows this well. The wound is a familiar one, and Lena wields its pain with ease, jabs at the festering sore until her blood is boiling and she’s no longer frozen beneath Lillian’s gaze.

 

It’s what she does best, one of the only things she’s glad to have learned through the years- how to take her pain and forge a weapon from it. There’s nothing else for her to arm herself with against the Luthor matriarch, a fully trained witch with years of experience and an intimate knowledge of certain spells that Lena’s certain aren’t exactly legal.

 

But Lillian laughs, and the sound of it slips through the gaps in Lena’s armor and draws _blood_.

 

“This,” she gestures around her with a sardonic smile, “may not have been yours by birth, but it is yours by _right_. Lex saw to that when he convinced us to take you in and let you share our name. You aren’t getting away that easily.” She scoffs at the surprise that Lena tries- and fails- to hide.

 

“And besides…” Her smile turns sharp, teeth bared, as she reaches for her pocket. “I’m not done with you yet.”

 

Lena knows that screaming would make this easier, that Lillian would stop _sooner_ if she just gave in, just admitted the agony coursing through her veins, the pain threatening to splinter her bones.

 

Lena bites her tongue, and the familiar taste of iron explodes in her mouth, but she stays quietly- _defiantly_ \- silent.

 

Hours later, the taste of blood still lingering on her sore tongue, she stands on the edge of the cliffs that lie just beyond the manor gates. Lena stares down at the churning waves, illuminated by the faint light of a crescent moon, and wonders just what it would take to free herself from that name.

 

Whatever the cost, it was a price she’d gladly pay.

 

As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, Adira hisses in sympathy, coiled loosely around her elbow, over her sleeve.

 

_All will be well, Lena._

 

Lena resists the urge to scoff, instead reaching with her free hand to stroke the serpent’s bristly scales. Adira nips at Lena’s fingers, fangs retracted, and repeats herself, insistent.

 

_All will be well._

 

* * *

 

Life is simple with the Danvers.

 

There are no sudden 'vacations', no midnight awakenings and hurried packing, no hushed whispers and frantic conversations she pretends not to overhear.

 

There are long weekends spent traipsing through the woods with Alex, and quiet afternoons spent beside her parents' graves, tucked into a secluded corner of the property that Jeremiah and Eliza had allowed her to pick out herself. There are frequent trips to the town, just an hour away from the house in the car that Jeremiah had excitedly informed Kara he'd learned how to drive in just a matter of months, and all without magic.

 

Alex teaches her little things about the wizarding world, tells her stories of Gringotts- the wizarding bank run by goblins and Diagon Alley, where they would go in a few years to pick out wands and school supplies before attending Hogwarts. The first time the older girl had mentioned the school by name, Kara couldn't completely suppress the urge to laugh at the absurdity of it. Alex had said the name with complete and utter solemnity, a kind of wonder gleaming in her eyes as she spoke of the school.

 

Days pass, then weeks, and slowly- _slowly_ \- Kara finds herself relaxing into her new life with the Danvers.

 

It is the longest time she has ever stayed in one place.

 

It is the first time she has ever felt so safe, but a part of her hates the fact that this newfound sense of security has come at the cost of her parents' lives.

 

Still, Kara finds herself happy-

 

Until the night she wakes up to the sight of the ceiling just inches away from her nose.

 

She panics, flailing, and gravity reasserts itself on her body, sending her crashing back onto the bed in a tangled heap of limbs.

 

The fall doesn't hurt, doesn't even sting.

 

Kara looks down at her skin- unbroken, unblemished, without even the faintest hints of a bruise- and she _knows_.

 

* * *

 

Alex wakes up to the sound of something _breaking_.

 

Before her mind can reason with her body, she's up, out of bed, and heading straight for the source of the commotion.

 

She finds that Kara's bed in _splinters_ , and the girl herself is hysterical.

 

"Please," she gasps out, chest heaving with shuddering sobs, " _Alex_."

 

That's all she needs to say for the questions to die in Alex's throat.

 

Explanations can wait until her _sister_ is no longer _weeping_.

 

She tiptoes into her parents' room with practiced caution, snatching her father's wand from the nightstand and slipping back through the door before her lungs even begin to ache from the breath she's been holding.

 

Alex has never intentionally cast a spell in her life, but she has magic and this is _Kara_ , so she tilts her chin up and points it towards the bed with only a slight tremor shaking her hand.

 

The spell comes to mind with ease- it was, after all, used with frequency within the Danvers household. Living with a researcher like her mother had led to more than one botched experiment and subsequent explosion in their home.

 

Beside her, Kara clutches at the sleeve of her free arm, tears now silently dripping down her cheeks.

  
  
"Reparo," she says firmly, willing the magic to work, to _obey_.

 

The pieces of the bed spring back together, entropy in reverse, the spell working so thoroughly that even the covers are left perfectly straightened after everything is fixed.

 

Alex clamps her mouth shut before Kara can notice her gaping at her own handiwork.

 

* * *

 

Kara tells her everything that night.

 

About her parents, about their powers, about how her people have been hunted for _years_ because of it.

 

Kara tells her how she was born on what once was their only safe haven- an island called Krypton- and about the massacre that ravaged her land and her people. How her parents had managed to escape the chaos with Kara safely tucked in her mother's arms. How they have been running ever since.

 

Kara tells her about Alura, how she could fly without a broom, dancing through the clouds without the weight of gravity to pull her down. And Zor-El, with his impenetrable skin, allowing him to stand in harm's way without fear.

 

"Our powers are hereditary," she finishes miserably, curled up against a pile of pillows, "They pass on to another of our blood when we die."

 

Alex's inquisitive nature gets the better of her, and her mouth is moving before she can think to stop herself. "So the bed-"

 

Kara nods, eyes shut tight as she burrows deeper into the sheets. "I can fly, Alex. Just like my mom. And my skin is unbreakable. Just like my dad. I woke up near the ceiling, and when I fell... It was the bed or me, and since I can't break..." Her tears are hot against her cheeks as she begins to cry. "I'm so _sorry_ , Alex."

 

The sound of her hiccupy whimpers make something in Alex's chest tighten painfully. She moves closer, wraps her arms around the other girl and squeezes as tightly as she can manage. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Kara. This isn't your fault."

 

She can feel the way Kara's shoulders shake, the way her breath hitches as her lungs spasm with barely suppressed sobs. Blistering anger surges through every ounce of her being, and Alex finds herself awash with hatred for people she has never met and hopes never to see, because she doesn't know what she'll do if she ever does, but she knows it will likely be very messy, and _very_ violent.

 

Her voice quakes when she speaks again, equal waves of grief and rage warring in her veins.

 

"None of this is your fault."

 

* * *

 

Alex had once stumbled across a book of baby names and their meanings at the local muggle library. She'd pulled it off of the shelf on a whim, seized by a sudden curiousity to find her own name within its pages and learn just exactly what 'Alexandra' meant.

 

There, in the midst of hundreds of books, surrounded by the scent of aging paper and glue, she found the word that would someday grow to define her.

 

 _Protector_.

 

Young Alex had tilted her head, frowning in confusion. She wondered what there was for her to protect. There was nothing for her to guard, no epic secret for her to keep, no dangerous quest for her to fulfill.

 

Unlike the heroes of the books that came to life in the landscape of her mind, her life was perfectly ordinary- that is, in a wizarding context.

 

Then Kara arrives, and everything falls into place. From the moment their eyes meet, the connection is instantaneous, electric. An overwhelming surge of protective warmth had washed over Alex, and something in her bones- something old and wise and _magic_ \- had spoken.

 

A single word, whispered in the spaces between the very atoms of her being, had pulled a half-forgotten memory of a book of names and meanings from the archives of her mind.

 

 _Protector_.

 

She would protect her, this sweet, smiling girl whose unbreakable skin hid a surprisingly fragile heart.

 

She would protect _Kara_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, the symbolism behind Alex's name CANNOT be a coincidence... It's gotta be magic or something. 
> 
> Leave a review, pet a friendly atheris hispida! (But not really because snakes like Adira really are venomous and will kill you.)
> 
> Also- reminder that you can comment in whatever language you feel comfortable in.
> 
> Some awesome people brought this to my attention in my other fic, epiphany, and I wanted to make it clear here too that I'm totally OK with it. 
> 
> ESL speakers are magical unicorn babies for even learning to understand another language, so if you guys can find a way to read my stories, I can find a way to read your reviews in whatever language you feel most comfortable expressing yourself. 
> 
> Hugs and kisses to all. <3


	4. iv. all the things we can't escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Danvers sisters grow closer, and Kara begins to heal from the wounds of her parents' death.
> 
> Lena continues to struggle in the Luthor household.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want to make anyone wait too long before finally getting to Hogwarts- which I know most of you must be desperately waiting for, so after this chapter, it's only one more before we get to the Hogwarts Express.
> 
> Just because I kept you guys waiting for so long, this chapter is extra-long and loaded with lots of adorable moments between your favorite sisters.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)

Kara tells her about Krypton and its people- how their kind were naturally gifted with enhanced speed, strength, stamina, and durability. There were Kryptonians whose abilities far exceeded the norm- those who could shoulder the weight of mountains and move at speeds invisible to the human eye- but Kara had only ever witnessed the powers of her parents first-hand. Kryptonians were also equipped with senses far keener than regular humans, rapid healing, and a resistance to most illnesses.

 

Kara's first special power had been her frost breath- a trait that once belonged to her mother's twin sister. 

 

There's a deep sadness that weighs her shoulders down when she tells Alex of how her mother had discovered her gift- baby Kara had frozen the spoon of soup being lifted to her mouth. That was how Alura had discovered that her sister had not survived the massacre. Aside from being told about the importance of hiding her abilities and the destruction of their ancestral home, Alura and Zor-El had told Kara little to nothing about their past. It had hurt too much to remember, and Kara could see it in their eyes with every question she'd tried to ask.

 

She tells Alex as much, and to her credit, her sister doesn't pry any deeper. 

 

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, Kara." She reaches out to brush Kara's curls behind her ear and presses a kiss to the top of her head. "It's okay."

 

"But what about Eliza and Jeremiah? What if they don't want-" Her throat tightens, cutting off the words she can no longer bring herself to voice. She peers up at Alex through watery eyes, glimmering with uncertainty.

 

Alex cuts her train of thought off with a sharp shake of her head. "Kara, that would _never_ happen. They love you just as much as I do."

 

"But how will I tell them?"

 

The tilt of Alex's chin is one that Kara has quickly become familiar with. Whenever Alex sets her jaw like that, she's made a decision that won't easily be changed. "If it makes you feel any better, Kara, I'll tell them myself."

 

A surge of affection rises up in Kara's chest for her older sister, and before Alex can so much as blink, she tackles her in a hug that nearly topples them both off of the bed. 

 

"Thank you." Her words are muffled, face pressed against the curve of Alex's neck, but still, the other girl understands.

 

"We're family, Kara." She wraps her arms around the ball of sunshine clinging to her side. "I will _always_ be here for you."

 

* * *

 

Months pass, and summer gives way to fall. 

 

Kara and Alex spend the season playing in piles of fallen leaves until winter rolls around and Eliza keeps them both indoors for most of the snowfall, no matter how many times Kara swears her physiology would keep her warm enough to endure the plummeting temperatures.

 

Alex turns ten in February, and the weather has thawed enough that Eliza allows the girls to venture outside, Kara still firmly wrapped in enchanted winter gear right alongside Alex, despite her many protests.

 

They find their way to the lake, and Kara uses her icy breath to freeze the surface of the water until it can bear their weight. Alex grins at the sight of her sister's face, eyes narrowed in concentration as she exhales plumes of icy mist. It's not long before the two of them are gliding across the lake's shiny surface, hand in hand.

 

"Can you believe it's just another year until we're old enough to go to Hogwarts?" Alex's cheeks are bright red, but whether it's from the cold or her obvious excitement remains a mystery.

 

Kara tightens her hold on Alex's fingers almost reflexively at the mention of the school. She doesn't even need to speak before Alex tugs her closer, leaving little to no space between them as they skate across the lake. "Don't worry, Kara. I'm sure everyone will love you."

 

"What if I don't fit in? You're the only wizarding kid I've ever known- I'm basically a muggle when it comes to magic, if you think about it. I don't know anything about the wizarding world!" Kara's voice climbs several octaves until it's barely an audible squeak. 

 

Alex drags them both to a stop in the middle of the ice, the blades of their skates digging hard into the frozen water. "Kara. I've told you everything I know about Hogwarts and the wizarding world- _and_ you've been living with us for months! Our family's just about as magic as you can get! Mom almost never puts down her wand! You know just as much as me, or any other kid. And besides," Alex tilts her chin up, sounding increasingly matter-of-fact as she continues, "It's not like everyone at Hogwarts is a stuffy pureblood. Dad tells me that there are lots of half-bloods and muggle-borns who've grown up in the muggle world- he meets them sometimes, when there's a problem that the aurors are needed to deal with. Most of the old purist families are decent now. The war changed a lot of people's minds about magic and blood purity."

 

"It's different for you, Alex- you _are_ a pureblood! I'm just some freak who happened to make myself disappear and reappear on a bridge when my parents died! What if I'm not good at magic?" 

 

Alex winces at Kara's self-deprecating tone, knowing full well that deep down, a part of her sister was terrified that it had all been a fluke that night, that she wasn't capable of the same kinds of magic that the wizarding community used. That she wasn't a witch, that she wouldn't get into Hogwarts, and that they'd send her away because of it. 

 

Alex knows this, even if Kara never has and likely never will give voice to these feelings. It makes her heart twist at the thought that, for all her bubbly enthusiasm, Kara's sunny disposition has buried terrible wounds so far from the surface, maybe lurking too far out of reach for even Alex to soothe.

 

It doesn't mean she won't try, though. If there's one thing Alex is certain of, it's that she'll never stop fighting for her _sister_. 

 

"That doesn't matter, Kara!" She's nearly yelling now, desperate to force some sense into the younger girl, gloved fingers wrapped tightly around her sister's shoulders.  "You are every bit as magic as me- maybe more! Look at us- we're standing in the middle of a lake that _you_ froze with your _frost breath_! If you can do that, and apparate at this age, you can do anything!" 

 

Alex finishes her speech with a firm shake of the younger girl- and it's this that finally snaps Kara out of her funk. Kara smiles up at her, shorter by a few inches, and the tension locking Alex's muscles in place finally vanishes, allowing her to relax.

 

"Thank you."

 

Alex grins back, pulling them both back into motion to head for the dock. They're nearly back to the house when a lull in conversation lets Alex seize the opportunity to break the news of her surprise.

 

"I have something for you." 

 

Kara levels a sideways glance towards her, her lower lip jutting out in mild confusion for several seconds before she opens her mouth to protest. "But it's _your_ birthday, Alex. You shouldn't have to get me anything."

 

"Yeah, well, since it _is_ my birthday, I can do whatever I want. And that includes giving you a present." 

 

Alex has been saving her allowance for weeks in preparation for this, even asking her dad to exchange her money to muggle currency before one of their regular trips to the muggle town just a few miles down the road from the edge of their property. Kara hadn't noticed- Alex had slipped away while Jeremiah distracted the girl with ice cream to make retrieve her purchase from a local muggle jeweler.

 

She'd wanted it to be something special, something to honor Kara's past living in the muggle world and her future in the magical one. A pair of ordinary silver necklaces, both with heart-shaped pendants enchanted to be forever linked with the other. The tiny hearts would warm and glow in response to their thoughts of each other.

 

She'd done the research for the spells herself, poring over her mother's books until she was sure of the enchantment she'd need and finally coaxing her father to take the necklaces with him to work, so he could enchant them without Kara seeing.

 

Every single second of her work becomes worth it at the sight of the look on Kara's face when she sees her gift.

 

Engraved in the shiny silver surface of the matching hearts are their initials- _K & A_\- carved in intertwined cursive symbols.

 

Alex fastens the chain around Kara's neck at the same time Kara does hers, and the pendants glow gold for a brief second before settling back to silver. "I had Dad cast the spells," she says, "They're unbreakable and forever linked. Just like us."

 

"Just like us," Kara echoes, eyes shiny with tears as she smiles back at her sister. "Forever?"

 

"Forever," Alex confirms, as tears begin to roll down Kara's cheeks, tears that she reaches forward to brush away with her thumbs as she leans forward to cup her sister's cheeks. "I _promise_."

 

It's a vow she knows she'll never break, even without magic to bind her to it.

 

* * *

 

None of the gifts that Kara receives on her birthday in April compare to the necklace that rests against her skin as she sits at the table, unwrapping her presents. The only one that even comes close is what Alex gives her- a tiny replica of the Hogwarts castle, enchanted with glowing windows, opening doors, and hovering clouds.

 

"Now you'll know what we have to look forward to next year." 

 

Kara beams so wide that Alex laughs, "Careful, Kara, your face might get stuck like that."

 

If possible, Kara's grin grows wider as she runs around the kitchen table to throw her arms around Alex's neck.

 

Later, after a dinner of Kara's favorites, Eliza brings out a towering chocolate cake, all-too familiar with her daughter's insatiable appetite. Alex dips her finger in the frosting and smears it across Kara's cheek with a smile that lights up the room. 

 

"Happy Birthday, Kara," she says, for what must be the hundredth time that day.

 

It makes Kara just as happy to hear as the first time she'd said it earlier that morning, when Alex had burst into her room and leapt onto her bed to shake her until she'd woken up, yelling it all the while.

 

The sun is just beginning to set when Kara finally succeeds in dragging Alex out of the house. 

 

Under the watchful eyes of Jeremiah and Eliza, Kara wraps her arms around Alex's waist and pushes off from the ground, sending them both high into the air with loud shouts of glee.

 

"This is awesome!" Alex shouts down towards the ground, waving wildly at the tiny figures of her parents. There's not a hint of fear in her voice- her trust in Kara is implicit.

 

Despite having witnessed this dozens of times before, the pair of them gape up at their daughters with identical expressions of wonder etched across their faces.

 

* * *

 

Lena wakes up screaming.

 

It's the fourth time this month _alone_ that she's had the same dream, relived the same memory with a gruesome twist.

 

Lex's body, stiff and cold on a metal table at St. Mungo's, staring up at her with vacant eyes. His gaze would lock on hers as his body came to life, still tinged with the pallor of death. He'd sit up, grab her by the wrists before she could move, and open his mouth. The voice that poured out was always raspy and sad.

 

He'd always say the same things.

 

_Why didn't you help me, Lena?_

_This is all your fault._

_I just wanted to be like you._

 

Lillian's magical punishments had done little in comparison to the damage her words had wreaked on Lena's mind.

 

Lena's glad of the size of the manor in times like these. Her room was in an entirely different wing than that of her parents.

 

There was no one around to hear her scream, and no one around to punish her for it.

 

She clambers out of bed on shaky legs and finds her way to the window. Living in this corner of the house afforded her unobstructed views of forests that border the Luthor home. 

 

The moon hangs high in the sky tonight, pale and bright against the backdrop of endless darkness. It's nearly full, with just a tiny sliver of its surface left unlit by the reflection of the sun's light. It would be whole soon enough, the splinter of shadow erased, filled in with the sun's reflected light.

 

But Lena has studied the stars enough to know that they would only ever be able to see a single side of the moon from the earth. The same force that allowed to moon to control the tides also locked the moon's rotation so that they would only ever see the same side. The other side, the far side, would always be hidden from view.

 

Lena feels like that sometimes, the far side of the moon kept out of sight, invisible to everyone on the ground.

 

She knows that the muggles have made trips to the moon's surface, visited the place that goes unseen from Earth.

 

But it had taken supreme effort and perseverance, the kind of labor that Lena knows nobody would ever bother undertaking for someone like her.

 

Someone destined to remain alone in the coldest expanses of empty space.

 

* * *

 

The anniversary of her parents' death passes in May.

 

Eliza makes pancakes for breakfast, the kind with chocolate chips, that they all know Kara loves. It warms her heart to know how much Eliza cares, but it doesn't make eating any easier through her clenched throat, tight with tears that go unshed.

 

Jeremiah has work, but after breakfast, he pulls Kara into a hug so tight that she could almost swear hearing her joints creak. 

 

Eliza makes potstickers for lunch, and it becomes evident that neither of today's meals have been coincidences, especially since Kara knows for a fact that Eliza must have spent days learning how to make potstickers from scratch rather than driving to town to order them from Mr. Pi's.

 

She doesn't let either of them clean up after the meal, shooing both Alex and Kara out of the house with a wave of her hand and a flimsy excuse about wanting them to 'enjoy the fresh air.'

 

The sun is bright and warm against her skin, but Kara feels nothing but empty and _cold_.

 

Kara feels hollow, utterly weightless, almost as if the next breeze could send her drifting off to absolutely anywhere, like falling leaves spinning away on the wind. The warmth of Alex's hand firmly wrapped around her own is the only thing tethering her to the ground.

 

Alex follows her to the corner of the property that houses her parents' graves in absolute silence.

 

She lowers her eyes to trace to letters of her mother's name with her gaze, carved into the stone in beautiful, elegant script. Jeremiah had made the inscriptions himself, carefully wielding his wand over the slabs of white stone as Kara watched, stiff and silent, standing several feet away from the mounds of freshly dug soil that would forever mark the site of her parents' remains. 

 

Something in Kara's chest spasms at the remembrance of the last thing her mother had a chance to say- her name. 

 

_Kara!_

 

And she'd screamed it, desperate and frightened, trapped in a nightmare that would end in her death.

 

A nightmare that would never end for Kara.

 

It feels like her ribs are breaking all over again, one by one, and all of a sudden, she can't _breathe_.

 

She's falling to her knees, choking on sobs that make her whole body shake with the force of her grief. Alex lets herself be pulled to the ground right alongside her, wrapping her free arm around Kara's shuddering body until her weeping subsides.

 

Alex whispers soothing words into her ears until Kara finally runs out of tears to shed, and even then, even when Kara's cheeks are dry but she still can't catch her breath from the force of the sobs that continue to wrench themselves from her throat, rubbed raw and sore as she cries. 

 

She stays like that for what feels like hours, until finally, _finally_ , sheer exhaustion steals away the last bits of her consciousness. The last thing her brain registers before shutting down is the way Alex's arms are still holding tight to her body.

 

When she finally wakes up, she's back in her room, tucked safely into her bed. But she's not alone.

 

The familiar warmth of Alex's body tucked against hers, an arm still wrapped around her waist, brings fresh tears to her eyes.

 

She struggles to keep her breath from hitching, but it's too late. Alex's arm tightens around her, and she speaks, voice rough from sleeping. 

 

"Hey, hey, hey," she soothes, eyes still closed as she presses a kiss to Kara's forehead, "It's going to be okay."

 

"I know," Kara whispers back, throat too clenched to allow her to speak any louder. "I know."

 

And for the first time since the night on the bridge, the night of the accident, the night her parents died-

 

It's not a lie.

 

* * *

 

Lena does a good job of avoiding Lillian's ire until the day she makes the mistake of going into Lex's room.

 

Adira's wrapped around her arm, hissing her disapproval quietly and Lena approaches the door.

 

_We shouldn't be doing this, Lena._

 

_I have to see this_ , Lena retorts, the language of serpents slipping easily from her tongue.

 

_We're going to be caught._

Lena sets her chin defiantly, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a firm shake of her head.

_I can handle the consequences._

 

The polished silver knob is cool against her fingers, left unlocked as it has always been since Lex's death.

 

His room is still exactly the way he'd left it on the day he died, everything perfectly arranged and in order.

 

She's spent less than a minute staring at the papers covering his desk when Adira's prediction comes true.

 

Lillian's grip around her upper arm is viselike as she drags her out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them with a furious wave of her wand.

 

"And just what," she spits, eyes flashing, "do you think you're doing?"

 

Lillian doesn't even wait for a reply before raising her wand again, and Lena's world disintegrates into a familiar cycle of agonizing pain and silent screams. She's suspended in the air, limbs spasming uncontrollably, but Lena stays quiet, biting her lips together with a vicious determination.

 

The curse feels like it lasts for hours, but Lena knows that only minutes have passed when Lillian finally lets her body drop to the ground. She's too weak to move, too weak to speak, too weak to do anything but lay there, bitten lips dripping blood down her chin and onto the stone floor..

 

"Never," Lillian growls, "never let me catch you near his rooms again."

 

She leaves Lena lying there, with only Adira's steady presence around her arm to soothe her as the last remnants of Lillian's magic makes her muscles twitch with burning pain.

 

It's only when she's sure that Lillian is far out of sight that she finally allows herself to cry, silent tears carving hot paths down her cheeks as Adira hisses in sympathy.

 

* * *

 

A few days after the anniversary of her parents' death comes the anniversary that marks a whole year spent with the Danvers.

 

Alex takes it upon herself to bake Kara's favorite dessert in honor of the occasion, chocolate pecan pie. 

 

Alex fairly glows with joy, Jeremiah takes the day off of work to stay home, and Eliza abandons her research for once, all three of them content to spend the day showering Kara with hugs and little presents.

 

After dinner, Eliza herds them all into the living room with the promise of hot chocolate and cookies. Jeremiah is the last to enter, standing stiffly by the door and looking extremely nervous.

 

"I know you've only been with us for a year, Kara, but it feels like we've known you for a lifetime," Jeremiah begins, hands carefully concealed behind his back. "And we love you. I know we say it all the time, but you are family to us, Kara, and we had an idea. Now, you don't have to do it if you don't want to- I know how much you love your parents- but-"

 

He steps forward and hands her a sheaf of paper, barely able to suppress his smile. "We were wondering if you'd like to become a Danvers. Make it official to the Ministry that you're ours."

 

Kara stands speechless for several long moments before her gaze slides sideways to rest on Alex's face. "Y-you... You really mean that? You want me to be a Danvers?"

 

The smile that stretches across Alex's face is as genuine as they come, and she bobs her head up and down so fast that Kara worries it'll fall off. "Only if you want it, Kara," she blurts out, "But if you do, you won't lose the 'zor-El', I promise. That'll just be your middle name. I know this is a really big decision to spring on you and-"

 

Kara cuts her off with a crushing hug, and only Alex's breathless squeak of " _Kara, air_ -" reminds her to loosen her grip.

 

"Yes. Yes. A million times yes." Even through the haze of tears obstructing her view, the elation that spreads across Eliza and Jeremiah's faces in the background is clear. "I would be _honored_ to become a Danvers. 

 

* * *

 

A few weeks later, another wizarding family moves into the area, building a house just across the woods.

 

Alex peppers her mom with a slew of questions over breakfast one day. _Where were they from? Why did they choose to move here? Did they have any kids?_

 

Her mom tosses her head back and laughs in response. "I don't know why they chose to live here, but they did buy the property that borders our own, so we officially have neighbors now. I think they do have a daughter around the same age as you and Kara- your dad poked around about them at work. You girls can take them this housewarming basket when you finish eating, if you want."

 

Alex levels a wide grin at her sister, and the pair of them scramble to finish their plates of eggs, toast, and bacon, nearly choking before they gulp down glasses of orange juice to wash it all down.

 

Before Eliza can do so much as to warn them to be careful, Kara's seized the basket from the counter and Alex has yanked open the door, both of them rushing out of the house in record time.

 

Their new neighbors introduce themselves as the Sawyers- a pretty witch introduces herself with a smile as she sends the basket floating towards to kitchen with a wave of her wand. "It's nice to meet you girls! I'm Madeleine Sawyer."

 

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Sawyer," the girls chorus together in unison, flashing matching grins up at the dark-haired woman.

 

"I'd introduce you to my husband, but he's wandering around somewhere, getting himself acquainted with the land." She turns towards the stairs briefly to call out, "Maggie! The neighbors have come to visit!"

 

Mrs. Sawyer looks back at the sisters, still smiling. "I'm glad that you girls are here. My daughter was worried she wouldn't have any company so far from the wizarding community. I hope you can be great friends."

 

Maggie Sawyer turns out to be every bit as beautiful as her mother, with dark hair, dark eyes, and dimpled cheeks.

 

Something about her perpetually mischievous smile makes butterflies flutter in Alex's stomach.

 

It takes no time at all for the girls to integrate her into their friendship, and the days fly by in a whirlwind of sleepovers, campfires, and lazy afternoons spent swimming in the lake.

 

After weeks of wheedling and puppy-eyed pouts from Kara, their parents agree to build a simple cabin at the lake for the girls to stay at. It's quickly finished with the aid of magic, but their idea of a tiny cabin ends up being more of an actual cottage, complete with a fireplace and a small porch, thanks to Mr. Sawyer and his love of architecture.

 

None of the girls complain about their idea of a small hideout turning into an actual house. The girls spend long nights in the large bedroom they share, the one with long windows that let the light of the moon shine through, reflected prettily on the lake's surface. Most nights, two of the three beds go unused altogether as they curl up in the one that sits in the middle, chattering eagerly about their plans for their first year at Hogwarts.

 

Maggie declares that she'll definitely be sorted into Gryffindor house, just like her parents. Alex and Kara wholeheartedly agree- Maggie's unmatched talent for coming up with daring yet ill-advised adventures all but guaranteed her a place in the 'brave' house.

 

Kara swears she'd like nothing more than to be sorted into Hufflepuff. Ever since Eliza had told the girl about Hufflepuff's dormitories being so close to the kitchens, Kara's heart had been set on joining the house.

 

Alex laughs until her ribs ache at the dreamy-eyed look that spreads across Kara's face as she retells the stories Eliza and Jeremiah had shared about the holiday feasts in the Great Hall.

 

The summer ends up being a golden one for the girls.

 

Alex and Kara are both thrilled at having made a new friend, and Maggie becomes nearly just as skilled as Alex in pulling Kara out of her occasional bouts of sadness.

 

Kara still has nightmares about the accident, but with Alex and Maggie by her side almost every night, the frequency of those bad dreams begins to drop. Instead, she begins to dream of good things- of getting on the Hogwarts Express with her sister by her side, of magnificent feasts in the Great Hall, of learning how to do magic...

 

Just as Alex had told her on the anniversary of her parents' death, everything was finally becoming okay.

 

Better, even.

 

Everything was finally becoming _wonderful_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review, punch Lillian Luthor in the face.
> 
> No, but seriously, I hate this woman. Vehemently.
> 
> Danvers Sisters FTW!!! 
> 
> Also yaaaaay Maggie! :D
> 
> Feel free to tell me what you think of everything down below! :)


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